This post provides detailed information on the medical administrative assistant career, including how to become one, the various opportunities, and the benefits of being a medical administrative assistant.
How to Become a Medical Administrative Assistant
Here are steps to follow to become a medical administrative assistant:
- Get your high school diploma
In high school, you should focus on classes like mathematics, typing, and office skills to prepare yourself for a career in an office.
As medical records become more computerized, computer classes are becoming increasingly crucial.
You should also study some biology and health classes to gain some basic medical expertise.
2. Acquire experience
While most companies prefer a Bachelor’s degree, you can work as an administrative medical assistant with only a high school diploma.
Some firms may provide on-the-job training in an entry-level role, where you will gain the necessary skills from more experienced workers.
You might also volunteer in a health care facility to learn about standard medical office procedures.
3. Participate in a formal training program
You can earn an Associate’s degree or a certificate in medical administration by enrolling in a structured training program.
Courses in medical insurance billing, medical computer systems, and healthcare compliance legislation are available in both degree and certificate programs.
You may also be able to engage in an internship to get experience before graduating.
More on How to Become a Medical Administrative Assistant
4. Obtain certification
Although certification is not required to operate as an administrative medical assistant, you may opt to pursue a professional designation to demonstrate your knowledge and ability.
After completing either a training program or having one year of work as an administrative medical assistant, you can obtain the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant credential from the National Healthcare Association.
5. Look for work
Private physicians’ offices have the biggest employment opportunities. There are also jobs available at public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities.
There are a few openings in the offices of chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists.
With formal training, prior experience, and professional certification, you may have the best career possibilities.
Medical Administrative Assistant Career Opportunities
Here are various career opportunities open to someone with medical administrative assistant background:
- Registered Nurse
A Registered Nurse is a nurse who has met all of the requirements to be a registered nurse.
Registered Nurses are most common in hospitals and clinics as they work with patients as they receive medical care and treatment.
They aim to maintain total patient safety and work with other health professionals such as doctors, in order to achieve the best possible outcome for their patient’s health.
2. Registered Nurse Supervisor
A Registered Nurse Supervisor is a nurse who has supervised other nurses within a hospital or clinic.
Registered Nurse Supervisors have an extensive knowledge of the medical field and generally work under the close supervision of a Registered Nurse.
3. Nursing Director
A Nursing Director is an individual who is most commonly found in hospitals and clinics.
They are responsible for making decisions about patient care on behalf of the hospital or clinic.
Their role is to make sure that the hospital’s and/or clinic’s guidelines are followed at all times and will be responsible for making sure that no mistakes are made, as well as making sure that patient safety is always maintained.
The nursing director will have various responsibilities, such as ensuring the correct amount of medications has been given to patients, ensuring all necessary equipment needed is functioning perfectly, and checking patient records.
4. Licensed Practical Nurse
A Licensed Practical Nurse, also known as a Licensed Vocational Nurse, is somewhat the same to that of a Registered Nurse.
However, Licensed Practical Nurses do not have to possess a degree in nursing.
A licensed practical nurse is also trained to provide basic medical assistance and will assist in any way they can.
More Medical Administrative Assistant Career Opportunities
5. Physician Assistant
A Physician Assistant is a licensed health care worker. They work under the supervision of an osteopathic physician or allopathic (MD).
They will report to the physician or surgeon and assist in either diagnosing medical problems, as well as helping treat patients and practice medicine.
6. Nurse Manager
A Nurse Manager is a person who is in charge of a nursing department of a hospital or clinic.
By being the head nurse, they not only care for their patients, but also ensure that all other nurses and health care workers are working properly.
They will be watching each nurse’s performance in order to ascertain if the nurse is doing their job properly, and can take action accordingly.
7. Administrator
An Administrator is a person who is in charge of managing a company, organization, or agency.
They will ensure that company guidelines are met and maintained at all times.
They will also make sure that any problems are addressed in order to help the business achieve its ultimate goal(s).
Additional Medical Administrative Assistant Career Opportunities
8. Office Manager
An Office Manager is a person who manages the office staff within a company, organization, or agency.
They will ensure that all organizational guidelines and policies are followed by the office’s employees.
In addition, they will be in charge of hiring and managing the office’s staff.
9. Team Leader
A Team Leader is an individual who takes charge in both supervising and coaching a group of people within a company, organization or agency.
They will help make sure that all organizational policies and guidelines are followed, as well as communicate to the group about both good and bad performance.
10. Operations Manager
An Operations Manager is a person who manages a business or organization’s physical plant, such as the facilities, vehicles, and equipment.
They will be in charge of making sure that jobs assigned to employees are completed on time and within budget.
Challenges faced by Medical Administrative Assistant on the Job
The medical administrative assistant faces a number of challenges on the job, including:
- Dealing with Difficult People
Since a job as a medical administrative assistant is mostly in an office environment, dealing with difficult people is inevitable and will affect the work environment.
A medical administrative assistant who is in charge of a team will have to face challenging people, who may not respond well to their work.
In addition to that, difficult people will also cause distractions from the work that has to be done.
2. Workload
A job as a medical administrative assistant takes up a lot of time and requires effort from the employee, as well as his/her mind.
A medical administrative assistant will have to remember different tasks and keep up with them, such as phone calls, messages and emails while they are working.
This can create a lot of stress on the employee, as they don’t feel like they are able to do all the required tasks in a timely manner.
3. Long Hours
In order to complete all the tasks that a medical administrative assistant is in charge of completing, both males and females work long hours overtime.
Sometimes, the job is so time consuming that they can’t even take the time off to rest and recover.
In addition to that, most employees don’t take the weekend off because they would have too much work to do.
Major Benefits of a Medical Administrative Assistant Career
Here are major benefits that medical administrative assistants enjoy:
- Gain job skills for advancement
A medical administrative assistant is not just an office worker; they are very different in a way that they are the bridge between the doctor and the patient.
They assist doctors in performing their duties as well as help patients with administrative concerns.
They are also required to keep all medical records on time and ensure that they are updated regularly so that it will be easier for doctors to provide treatment to their patients.
2. Flexible schedule
Medical administrative assistants are able to do part-time work or full-time work. It all depends on the company or organization that you will be working for.
You will eventually get hired if you have great skills and good knowledge of your area of specialization.
3. You build relationships with others
As a medical administrative assistant, you will be working under someone so it is only normal for you to feel nervous at first.
Your co-workers will be your support group and they will help you build long lasting relationships with others.
4. Job stability
As a medical administrative assistant, you will be free from labor force for an entire year. This means that you won’t have to worry about job insecurity because your salary will stay the same.
More Benefits of a Medical Administrative Assistant Career
5. Good salary
A medical administrative assistant has the opportunity to earn decent pay when they are in a position where they are required to prepare vouchers, reports, and analyses of patient’s records.
Also, some companies provide bonuses such as bonuses based on performance like achieving high sales targets by selling more items than other employees within a given time frame.
6. Career advancement
If you work hard, it is possible to be able to move forward in your career as a medical administrative assistant.
This can mean more money, a more prestigious position or more self-development.
7. You help people
A medical administrative assistant is one person who keeps the whole healthcare system together by helping doctors through administrative support.
This makes it easier for doctors to provide quality care to their patients.
Conclusion
The medical administrative assistant career is helpful in keeping the entire medical office running smoothly.
This job is anything but just typing and filing because they assist doctors in performing their duties, as well as help patients with administrative concerns.